April is a “1” Universal Month [4 (April) + 6 (2022) = 10 = 1+0=1] in a “6” Universal Year. Whatever we were before, whatever came before, we are back at a beginning. We are finally, after months of lag and friction, starting to take steps forward into the new. This is further indicated as Aries is the first sign of the astrological year and we have a number of planets switching signs during the month. Don’t trip over yourself in your hurry, though, Mercury and Pluto are fixing to enter their retrograde cycles by the end of the month and we are entering Eclipse Season.
The Set-Up
We begin the month with the Sun and Mercury in Aries, Venus Mars and Saturn closely conjunct in Aquarius, Jupiter and Neptune in Pisces, Uranus in Taurus, and Pluto in Capricorn. Mercury will transit all the way through Taurus, enter their pre-retrograde shadow, and end the month in Gemini. Both Venus and Mars will transition into Pisces where they will eventually conjunct Jupiter and Neptune (Venus during April). Additionally, Pluto ends our all-forward-moving planet train by stationing retrograde at the end of the month.
The month of Aries is bookmarked by a new moon in Aries on the first and eclipsed new moon in Taurus on the 30th – do not expect to be the same person at the end of the month that you were in the beginning. We have entered the zone of liminality once again.
The Nitty Gritty
April’s Fool is a new moon conjunct both Mercury and Chiron which is either extremely lucky or unlucky depending on your perspective. If you are fixing to come into April with a solid plan that cannot go awry, prepare to be disappointed because the energy of the month is going to bob and weave about like the trickster that we don’t-quite-but-sort-of celebrate on Fool’s Day. All may not be what it seems as the month begins but do not fret, so long as you can go with the flow and let the energy of the messenger guide your path, you may find that you got more than you were looking for. If you’re too fixed in your path, the eclipsed new moon in Taurus at the fool’s end will likely disabuse you of that notion, either way. Don’t say that I didn’t warn you.
The energy is light and tricksy during the weekend of 4/2-4/3 as the Sun conjuncts Mercury on Saturday and the Moon in Taurus meets up with Uranus on Sunday. Let lightning strike where it has to and get out of the way of the falling tower. Only fools stand in its way.
The first week of April proper may start heavily as Mars conjuncts Saturn – this is a good day to put in the work, but don’t expect immediate results. Venus also enters Pisces early in the week which may muddy the waters. Venus in Pisces, in her mature form, can be the epitome of universal love and forgiveness but she has been dancing with Mars and Saturn in Aquarius for more than a month so it may take a bit for her to find her heart again. In her immature form, you may see emotional manipulation as a form of control. Generally, Venus does better the farther that she gets into Pisces and away from the disconnect of Aquarius – let a lotus grow out of the muddiness she creates early in the month.
Maybe when Mercury in Aries sextiles Saturn and Mars in Aquarius on 4/7 and 4/8 it will be enough inspiration to pull yourself out but it may be best to remember not to struggle too much through the quicksand lest it mires you more thoroughly. Here you see the first snag in the forward energy that the Sun and Mercury in Aries want to create all month: both of our other two personal planets will be lost in the waters of Pisces and are still on their own journeys to “catch up”. Something about relationships is lagging behind right now – perhaps it is the ways in which we are needing to relearn how to interact in our “new normal” after so many months of isolation, perhaps we need to disentangle ourselves from the codependencies we all seem to have inevitably created with our closest others. This is a good month to allow Venus and Mars to travel on their journey through Pisces in its role as the keeper of the unconscious. That may take a lot of self-awareness and effort to slow down and be still with yourself, but you are cosmically supported if you choose to do so.
On 4/9 the energy is going to get volatile as the transitting moon in Cancer creates a t-square in the sky between the Sun and Mercury in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn. We’ve been experiencing these squares with Aries and Capricorn since the beginning of 2020 – what lessons have you been holding on to past their time about your desire to stop and go? Both Venus and Mars are going to have to square off with Pluto soon enough which may rock the boats on our relationships even more – try to settle the ego storms now so that they don’t have to come up when this happens.
Mercury enters Taurus ahead of the Sun on 4/10. This may have somewhat of a calming effect as Taurus is much more grounded than the Sun in Aries, Venus in Pisces, or Mars in Aquarius. Then, on 4/12, Jupiter will conjunct Neptune at 23° Pisces – this is likely the best day of the month, especially for mystics or people on a higher path. Let these outer planets lead your heart and show you a new path if you need one during this time.
Mars enters Pisces on 4/14 which leaves our motivations watery and listless. While Mars transits the sign of the fish, it would be wise to check ourselves and make sure that we are making decisions out of logic rather than emotions their accompanied irrationalities.
The Full moon on 4/16 at 26° Libra puts a spotlight on relationships while both Venus and Mars struggle to make motions through Pisces. Venus may begin to make headway during this time but isn’t helped by her divine counterpart being so watery and directionless. Really focus on tapping into the universal love, if you can. That is where Venus in Pisces shines. There’s a lot of unpredictability to this full moon – though not exact until 4/18, Mercury is conjunct Uranus and the Sun is squaring off with Pluto. Something has got to give. Let go of what you can to make space for what is to come – control your descent. If you don’t choose, life sometimes takes the choices away from you.
On 4/19, the Sun enters Taurus and we officially enter eclipse season. This is our first full eclipse cycle of the Taurus-Scorpio axis which is focused on the dichotomy between the physical and the mystical. Eclipse season always blows in on the winds of fate – watch for what doors swing open and those that slam shut. Trust what is coming up for you during this time as it will inevitably teach you invaluable lessons if you let it.
The end of the month sees a lot of focus on Mercury and Pluto – both are messengers in their ways if one considers Pluto a cosmic grim reaper type. Mercury’s last retrograde cycle back in January was closely aligned with Pluto in his journey through the last degrees of Capricorn, so it is worth noting that their retrograde cycles now overlap as well. Mercury will square off with Saturn on 4/24, enter their pre-retrograde shadow on 4/26, trine Pluto on 4/28, and then enter their home sign of Gemini on 4/29 on the same day that Pluto himself stations retrograde. Mercury and Pluto will trine each other three times throughout Mercury’s retrograde cycle just as they met in conjunction earlier this year. You may have to circle back to unfinished business from January-February of this year – maybe there is something that you avoided ending that needs completion during this time.
Expect 4/29 and 4/30 to be murky and unintelligible as we experience a planetary shift in signs (Mercury into Gemini and a planetary retrograde, two things which both indicate some level of diffuse and foggy energy, under the light of our eclipsed Taurus new moon. Though it is not always obvious Taurus, as one of the fixed signs, is one of the more egoic archetypes in the natal horoscope and our emotions, represented by the moon, is going to eclipse this in some way. Emotions will be high and the pressure meters may run off the charts. This is a big caution day – Taurus likes to be easygoing but is more prone to explosions than one might expect if you haven’t been close to one. Watch out for red flags because once the bull sees red, you may find yourself gored, or in the spectator section, left wondering what happened.
If big blowups or eruptions occur around the 30th, know that they were, in a way pre-determined. Eclipses happen with our sun and moon align with lunar nodes which are considered fated points in the natal wheel – since this is a new moon, the sun and moon will be conjunct the North Node in Taurus which is considered the point of the future. Let the future unfold for you – what comes into your life during this time carries high potential at best, or perhaps deep lessons.
The Details
4/1 – New Moon 11° Aries, Sun conjunct Chiron (12° Aries), Moon conjunct Chiron 12° Aries
4/2 – Sun conjunct Mercury 13° Aries, Moon in Aries square Pluto in Capricorn
4/3 – Moon conjunct Uranus (13° Taurus)
4/4 – Mars conjunct Saturn (22° Aquarius), Moon in Taurus square Mars and Saturn in Aquarius
4/05 – Venus enters Pisces
4/07 – Mercury in Aries sextile Saturn in Aquarius
4/08 – Mercury in Aries sextile Mars in Aquarius
4/09 – Cardinal t-square: Sun and Mercury in Aries, Moon in Cancer, and Pluto in Capricorn
4/10 – Mercury in Aries square Pluto in Capricorn, Mercury enters Taurus
4/11 – Moon in Leo square Uranus in Taurus, Moon in Leo opposed Saturn in Aquarius
4/12 – Jupiter conjunct Neptune (23° Pisces), Sun in Aries sextile Saturn in Aquarius
4/14 – Mars enters Pisces
4/16 – Full moon 26° Libra
4/17 – Mercury in Taurus sextile Venus in Pisces
4/18 – Venus in Pisces sextile Uranus in Taurus, Mercury conjunct Uranus 13° Taurus, Sun in Aries square Pluto in Capricorn, Moon conjunct Saturn in Aquarius
4/19 – Sun enters Taurus
4/22 – Moon conjunct Pluto in Capricorn
4/24 – Mercury in Taurus square Saturn in Aquarius
4/26 – Mercury enters their pre-retrograde shadow at 26° Taurus
4/27 – Venus conjunct Neptune 24° Pisces, Mercury in Taurus sextile Jupiter in Pisces
4/28 – Mercury in Taurus trine Pluto in Capricorn
4/29 – Pluto retrogrades at 28° Capricorn, Mercury enters Gemini
4/30 – Venus conjunct Jupiter (27° Pisces), eclipsed New Moon at 10° Taurus